Combination wire working tool

ABSTRACT

A hand tool primarily for use with electrical wiring which combines into one tool all the necessary tools normally required when gripping, pulling, bending, cutting, stripping, and crimping operations are performed during an electrical wiring job. The tool includes needle-nose plier jaws for gripping, pulling, and bending wire; a crimping orifice for crimping solderless electrical terminals to the ends of wire; cutter blades for cutting wire; and a plurality of orifices for cutting and stripping insulation material from insulated wire of different diameters.

United States Patent Neff [45] Apr. 11, 1972 54] COMBINATION WIREWORKING TOOL FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [72] lnventor; Ted Nefl,Hunter Industries, 9851 Adbur- 647,526 10/1962 Italy ..7/5.1 {is Avenue,La Hmbra, Calif 90670 673,358 10/1963 Canada ..7/5.3

[22] Filed: 1970 Primary Examiner-Theron E. Condon AssistantExaminerRoscoe V. Parker, Jr. [2]] Appl' 11,062 Attorney-Fulwider,Patton, Rieber, Lee & Utecht [52] U.S.Cl..... 7/5.3, 8l/9.5 R, 81 5.1 RABSTRACT [51] f "H02g1/12B25b7/22 A hand tool primarily for use withelectrical wiring which [58] Fleld of Search ..7/5.l, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4,5.5, combines into one too] a the necessary tools normally R requiredwhen gripping, pulling, bending, cutting, stripping, and crimpingoperations are performed during an electrical [56] References Citedwiring job. The tool includes needle-nose plier jaws for gripping,pulling, and bending wire; a crimping orifice for UNITED STATES PATENTScrimping solderless electrical terminals to the ends of wire; cutterblades for cutting wire; and a plurality of orifices for 3,525,1078/1970 Hays ..7/5.3 cutting and strippinginsulation material frominsulated wire of 2,668,464 2/1954 Paules ..7/5.2 X different diameters2,585,080 2/1952 Beaulieu ..81/9.5 R 3,120,773 2/1964 Esser ..7/5.3 2Claims, 6 Drawing Figures COMBINATION WIRE WORKING TOOL BACKGROUND OFINVENTION The present invention relates to hand tools in general, and inparticular to a combination tool for performing all the variousoperations required when working with insulated electrical wiring.

There are presently available to the trade certain wireworking tools ofvarious combinations such as a wire stripper and cutter; a wirestripper, cutter and crimper; or wire gripper and cutter. None of thesetools, however, have all of the features and functions necessary to do acomplete job of gripping, pulling, bending, crimping, cutting, andstripping normally performed on any electrical wiring job, and thereforeadditional tools are required. This not only is more expensive but isalso more time-consuming due to the frequent necessity to change fromone tool to another. The device of the instant invention overcomes thesedisadvantages as will be seen in the following summary and description.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF INVENTION A general object of the presentinvention is to provide in one combination hand tool all the functionsnecessary to perform all the operations necessary when working withinsulated electrical wiring.

More particularly, it is the object of the present invention to providea single combination hand tool having means to grip, pull, bend, cut,and strip electrical wiring, and to crimp solderless electricalterminals onto the ends of said wiring, thus eliminating the necessityfor more than one tool to do a complete electrical wiring job.

A related object is to provide such a tool with the crimping and cuttingmeans both as near as possible to the pivot point of the tool so thatmaximum leverage can be obtained for these operations which require themost leverage.

Another object is to provide a combination tool that will perform allthe functions named, but which will be economical to produce and whichcan be marketed at a cost to the user well below that of the multipletools that would be required to perform a complete electrical wiring jobin the absence of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the tool comprising the inventionin its preferred form using stamped parts;

FIG. 2 is a top view looking downward on the tool as indicated byarrowed line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the forward end of the tool as viewed in thedirection indicated by arrowed line 33 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of an alternate means of constructing thetool using forged parts instead of stamped parts;

FIG. 5 is a top view looking downward on the tool in FIG. 4 as viewed inthe direction of arrowed line 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a cross section as viewed in the direction of arrowed line 66of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION Referring initially to FIG. 1, the tool is shown having twooverlapping, substantially identical members 10 and 12 joined togetherby a pivot pin or rivet 14 in a bore 16 which extends laterally throughboth of said members 10 and 12. The rear portions of members 10 and 12are formed in the shape of two plier-like handles 18 and 20. The forwardend of the tool is formed in the shape of long, tapered, needle-noseplier jaws 22 and 24, and both of said jaws have serrations 26 and 28 ontheir facing inner working surfaces providing the means for securelygripping objects such as wire.

Immediately adjacent the inner end of jaws 22 and 24, intermediate ofsaid jaws and the pivot point established by pivot pin or rivet 14, islocated a solderless electric terminal crimping orifice 30. Said orificeis formed by a concave recess 32 in member 12 which is facing twoconcave recesses 34 and 36. The radii or recesses 34 and 36 converge andproject partially into the center of the space formed by recess 32 toform a projecting tooth 38.

Located immediately to the rear of the pivot point established by pivotpin or rivet 14 is a cutter means consisting of two sharp cutting edges40 and 42, one on each of the members 10 and 12, overlapping each otherand providing the means for cutting wire.

A series of different sized circular orifices, in this instance six, areshown in line down the longitudinal center axis of the tool and aredesignated by the numerals 44, 46, 48, 50, 52, and 54 respectively. Allof the orifices have sharp cutting edges on their entire innercircumference formed as a result of angling the channels forming saidorifices at approximately 45. The first and largest of such orifices 44is located immediately adjacent cutting edges 40 and 42 to the rear sideof pivot pin or rivet 14 toward the handle end of the tool and theremaining orifices 46, 48, 50, 52, and 54 follow in progressivelysmaller diameters respectively. One-half of the circumference of eachorifice is located on member 10 and the other half on member 12 havingoverlapping edges so that when handles 18 and 20 are pivoted away fromeach other, the orifices will open to receive an insulated wire which isplaced in the matching orifice according to the wire size. When handles18 and 20 are then squeezed together, the sharp edges of the orificesclose on the wire and cut through the insulation material. The tool isthen pulled toward the cut end of the wire and the insulation materialstripped off.

Rearward of orifice 54 are two small projections 56 and 58 located onmembers 10 and 12, respectively. Projections 56 and 58 are angled inwardpast the vertical center axis of the tool to overlap each other and forma stop means for restricting the closing of handles 18 and 20 beyond apredetermined point where said orifices 44 through 54 have the desireddiameters. Said stop means thus controls the minimum diameters to whichsaid orifices may be closed and thereby prevents the inadvertent cuttingof the wire along with the insulation.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show an alternate form of making the tool comprisingthe present invention utilizing forged parts for the cross members 10'and 12 instead of stamped metal parts as utilized in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.It will be noted that the tool in FIG. 2, members 10 and 12 are bent at60 and 62 so as to bring jaws 22, 24, and the working surfaces ofcrimping orifice 30 into parallel, oppositely facing relationship toeach other. This offsetting is not required on parts 10 and 12 in FIGS.4, 5, and 6 as these forged parts are preformed to provide the properfacing relationship of jaws 22', 24', and the surfaces of orifice 30.

Jaws 22 and 24 in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are shown as having recessed areas64 and 66 within which is located crimping orifice 30'. Said recessesare for the purpose of reducing the lateral width of orifice 30 andtooth 38 so that when a crimping operation is performed on a solderlesselectrical terminal, less pressure will be required to make the crimpingindentation than otherwise would be required if the crimping orifice 30and tooth 38 were of the same lateral width as jaws 22 and 24.

The other features of the alternate method of construction shown inFIGS. 4, 5, and 6, such as handles 18 and 20', cutting edges 40' and 42,orifices 44', 46', 48', 50', 52', and 54', and projections 56 and 58',are all substantially identical to the corresponding features in FIGS.1, 2, and 3, and therefore need no further description.

If desired, the jaws 22 and 24 may be biased open by a rattrap springcoaxial with the pivot 14 and having arms connected to the members 10and 12 at 82 and 84.

OPERATION The tool comprising my invention is operated in a similarmanner to other plier-like hand tools well known to the art.

For example, in using the gripping jaws the method is exactly the sameas any other plier, and the cutter is used the same as any other cuttingplier. In using the stripper orifices, an insulated wire is inserted inthe proper orifice according to the wire size, and the orifice is thenclosed by pressing handles 18 and 20 together until they reach the stopmeans. The sharp cutting edges on the circumference of the orifice cutsthrough the insulation material while leaving the wire itself intact.The tool is then pulled outwardly toward the end of the wire and theinsulation material is stripped off to expose a section of bare wire. Inusing the crimper, a solderless electrical terminal is placed on the endof a bare wire after the insulation has been stripped off and theterminal is then placed in recess 32 in member 12. Handles 18 and 20 arethen squeezed together causing tooth projection 38 to make a rather deepindentation in the terminal wall and thereby crimping the terminaltightly in place on the end of the wire.

CONCLUSION The combination in one tool of needle-nose plier-like jaws, asolderless terminal crimper, a wire cutter, and a plurality ofwire-stripper orifices to cut and strip insulation material from a wireoffers many advantages not available in any other single tool, as willbe immediately recognized by those engaged in electrical wiringinstallation and repair. For example, the added cost of two or moretools to do the operation of this one tool is eliminated, and the addedtime and inconvenience in changing from one tool to another is alsoeliminated.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed forthe purpose of illustration, it will be understood that various changes,modifications, and substitutions may be incorporated in such embodiment,within the scope of the invention, without departing from the spirit ofthe invention as illustrated, described, and claimed herein.

I claim as my invention:

1. A gripping, crimping, cutting and stripping tool comprismg:

a pair of operating members pivotally connected for movement about apivot axis in scissor-like relation, the opposite extremities of saidmembers being laterally off-set to provide a pair of generally alignedhandle portions disposed in opposed relation on one side of said axisand a pair of generally aligned gripping portions disposed in opposedrelation on the opposite side of said axis for abutting engagement uponclosure of said handle portrons;

said members including generally aligned, opposed crimping portionslocated between said gripping portions and said one side of said axisfor abutting engagement upon said closure of said handle portions;

said members further including on said opposite side of said axisoverlapping portions terminating in shearing edges adapted to cut wire,said overlapping portions including a plurality of opposed, complementalarcuate recesses cooperative to define stripper openings reduceable insize upon said closure of said handle portions; and

said members further including stop means located outwardly of saidstripper openings and interengageable upon said closure of said handleportions to fix the size of said stripper openings,

2. A tool according to claim 1 wherein said stop means comprisesinwardly projecting portions on said operating members, respectively,and engageable to limit the extent of said closure of said handleportions.

1. A gripping, crimping, cutting and stripping tool comprising: a pairof operating members pivotally connected for movement about a pivot axisin scissor-like relation, the opposite extremities of said members beinglaterally off-set to provide a pair of generally aligned handle portionsdisposed in opposed relation on one side of said axis and a pair ofgenerally aligned gripping portions disposed in opposed relation on theopposite side of said axis for abutting engagement upon closure of saidhandle portions; said members including generally aligned, opposedcrimping portions located between said gripping portions and said oneside of said axis for abutting engagement upon said closure of saidhandle portions; said members further including on said opposite side ofsaid axis overlapping portions terminating in shearing edges adapted tocut wire, said overlapping portions including a plurality of opposed,complemental arcuate recesses cooperative To define stripper openingsreduceable in size upon said closure of said handle portions; and saidmembers further including stop means located outwardly of said stripperopenings and interengageable upon said closure of said handle portionsto fix the size of said stripper openings.
 2. A tool according to claim1 wherein said stop means comprises inwardly projecting portions on saidoperating members, respectively, and engageable to limit the extent ofsaid closure of said handle portions.